Just My Two Cents... No, One Cents....
I don't recommend eating ramen noodles as a daily meal. They are, however, pretty good on a cold, blustery and rainy day. From that sentence you may have guessed, today I was eating ramen noodles for lunch. While I was doing so though, I also listened to music and read some history.
All of the senses were used: I could taste yummy noodles, hear pretty music, see the words and feel the paper, and smell the aroma of the noodles.
But I realized I was eating somewhat quickly, only subconsciously hearing the music, only getting the gist of the history, and only vaguely registering the other senses. So, I tried something different for a few minutes. I just read the book. I could see the pale beige pages, and and feel their soft, sandpaper texture. The black ink letters conveyed more knowledge, and I found the book more interesting now.
I tried the music next. It wasn't pretty now, not because I changed the song, but because it sounded beautiful. The harmonies and strings were woven together skillfully. Emotion came out of it, and displayed meaning, even though it was instrumental.
Now the noodles; I could taste them, no longer just yummy but....delicious. Salty and kind of squashy. The broth was soothing to my sore throat. An amazing aroma from the seasoning.
Description splurge done with, I wanted to share some thoughts on how this relates to real, everyday living.
Every once in a while, something just sticks out in the world. Maybe it's big fluffy clouds, or little fluffy kittens. Maybe smooth and solid rock, or thick, green grass. Whatever it is, all of a sudden I stop, take a closer look, and feel wowed. If there's someone nearby I'll run to them and excitedly try to help them understand what's so neat about the thing. I'll feel disappointed if they don't become as enthusiastic as me, because they must be missing out on some wow, and I don't want them too.
Why do things stick out sometimes? I think it's when the other senses recede just enough, so that the one focused sense experiences more than normal. Why is the night sky full of stars so amazing? Every time I look it's, "WHOA! Look at the sky!" But the darkness blotting out so much else, suddenly makes the insane beauty of the night sky become focused on.....and studied. And so much more than the usual stands out.
See a cat or a dog, and continue walking. But maybe your hand may touch it when you pass by, and sometimes the other senses become ignored for a moment. "So SOFT! So CUTE!" (though I may hope nobody hears me say that)
As a whole, life, the world, and everything can become rudimentary and dull, when we never let one sense take over the moment and astound. How much more enjoyable life becomes, when I let these little moments happen. They are so refreshing. They make the world more cheerful. I learn more about the world when I take the time to study just a small bit of it at a time.
This can also help to study God, too. As a whole, God is so words-cannot-describe. As one of my mentors showed me, Paul says in Ephesians 1:17, that we need a "Spirit of wisdom and revelation," to begin to understand God's awesomeness. Looking at just God's mercy, or just God's power, allows us to focus and study, revealing bits of His character. It all results in, "You've got to come see this! This is AWESOME!"
It's good to study God as a whole, I'm not putting that down. With my limited human mind though, it can help to specifically study one bit, and then another bit, and then perhaps come back to the first bit again. Gradually the wonder of God becomes clearer.
One way to look at the idea is like this: Somewhere out in the middle of a pristine blue ocean is a patch of the best smelling, and beautiful flowers, just floating and bobbing. Red, pink, orange, and lots of other colors streak the sky to create the most amazing sunset ever. Music comes from an invisible source that is simply more sweet, amazing and powerful than anything ever heard. To anyone who enters this spot, the very air tastes strong, and more flavorful than their favorite taste in the world.
I can't really imagine being able to process how cool this would be. I think it would be easier though, if I just watched the sunset and tried to soak it in. Then close my eyes and just listen to the music. Or float down from my invisible seat in the air to smell the flowers. The scene as a whole would be easier to appreciate when I came back to try and take it in all at once.
This is a worldly description of what I think God is like to the senses. It can never compare. But if I focus on just one sense at a time, when I come back to the whole, it is so much more amazing.
So that my two cents for the day. Or rather just one cents..... :-)
All of the senses were used: I could taste yummy noodles, hear pretty music, see the words and feel the paper, and smell the aroma of the noodles.
But I realized I was eating somewhat quickly, only subconsciously hearing the music, only getting the gist of the history, and only vaguely registering the other senses. So, I tried something different for a few minutes. I just read the book. I could see the pale beige pages, and and feel their soft, sandpaper texture. The black ink letters conveyed more knowledge, and I found the book more interesting now.
I tried the music next. It wasn't pretty now, not because I changed the song, but because it sounded beautiful. The harmonies and strings were woven together skillfully. Emotion came out of it, and displayed meaning, even though it was instrumental.
Now the noodles; I could taste them, no longer just yummy but....delicious. Salty and kind of squashy. The broth was soothing to my sore throat. An amazing aroma from the seasoning.
Description splurge done with, I wanted to share some thoughts on how this relates to real, everyday living.
Every once in a while, something just sticks out in the world. Maybe it's big fluffy clouds, or little fluffy kittens. Maybe smooth and solid rock, or thick, green grass. Whatever it is, all of a sudden I stop, take a closer look, and feel wowed. If there's someone nearby I'll run to them and excitedly try to help them understand what's so neat about the thing. I'll feel disappointed if they don't become as enthusiastic as me, because they must be missing out on some wow, and I don't want them too.
Why do things stick out sometimes? I think it's when the other senses recede just enough, so that the one focused sense experiences more than normal. Why is the night sky full of stars so amazing? Every time I look it's, "WHOA! Look at the sky!" But the darkness blotting out so much else, suddenly makes the insane beauty of the night sky become focused on.....and studied. And so much more than the usual stands out.
See a cat or a dog, and continue walking. But maybe your hand may touch it when you pass by, and sometimes the other senses become ignored for a moment. "So SOFT! So CUTE!" (though I may hope nobody hears me say that)
As a whole, life, the world, and everything can become rudimentary and dull, when we never let one sense take over the moment and astound. How much more enjoyable life becomes, when I let these little moments happen. They are so refreshing. They make the world more cheerful. I learn more about the world when I take the time to study just a small bit of it at a time.
This can also help to study God, too. As a whole, God is so words-cannot-describe. As one of my mentors showed me, Paul says in Ephesians 1:17, that we need a "Spirit of wisdom and revelation," to begin to understand God's awesomeness. Looking at just God's mercy, or just God's power, allows us to focus and study, revealing bits of His character. It all results in, "You've got to come see this! This is AWESOME!"
It's good to study God as a whole, I'm not putting that down. With my limited human mind though, it can help to specifically study one bit, and then another bit, and then perhaps come back to the first bit again. Gradually the wonder of God becomes clearer.
One way to look at the idea is like this: Somewhere out in the middle of a pristine blue ocean is a patch of the best smelling, and beautiful flowers, just floating and bobbing. Red, pink, orange, and lots of other colors streak the sky to create the most amazing sunset ever. Music comes from an invisible source that is simply more sweet, amazing and powerful than anything ever heard. To anyone who enters this spot, the very air tastes strong, and more flavorful than their favorite taste in the world.
I can't really imagine being able to process how cool this would be. I think it would be easier though, if I just watched the sunset and tried to soak it in. Then close my eyes and just listen to the music. Or float down from my invisible seat in the air to smell the flowers. The scene as a whole would be easier to appreciate when I came back to try and take it in all at once.
This is a worldly description of what I think God is like to the senses. It can never compare. But if I focus on just one sense at a time, when I come back to the whole, it is so much more amazing.
So that my two cents for the day. Or rather just one cents..... :-)
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